A Thorny Situation
by Voyfan2
Summary: Kate is getting flowers from an anonymous sender. This isn't a good thing, so Tom (with a little help) figures out a way to put a stop to it.


_AN: I think this was inspired by a grocery shop on Valentine's Day. Seemed like every man coming out of the store was holding a bouquet._

_As usual, Kate, Tom and everyone else belongs to CBS now. (The dog, however, is mine.) I do this for entertainment ... certainly am not making any $$ off this._

ooo

Kathryn allowed herself a sigh of relief when she reached her office suite. It had been a frustrating mission; she needed a day or two before she tackled _that_ report.

Her assistant, Lt. Liang, was closing the office for the weekend. "Welcome back, Admiral," she said, with a glance at the open door. "Are Lieutenants Graham and Tosh …?"

"No," she answered quickly. "I sent them home. I'm going to drop off some things and head home, too."

The lieutenant nodded. "The evening briefing is in and I've sorted your messages by priority. The material from Admiral B'rai's office is on your desk. Oh, and something came for you. It's on the desk, too," she said with a shy smile.

"Business or personal?"

"Definitely personal. Enjoy your weekend, Admiral," she said as she left.

Puzzled, she walked into her office … and stopped. It certainly was personal: a half-dozen Peace roses, her favorite. Grinning now, she dropped the bag and picked up the vase. It took some hunting to find the card, but finally ...

"_I miss you." _No name, but considering she'd been gone for 10 days, they had to be from Tom. Fortunately, they came with a traveling case, so she packed them up to take home.

ooo

She was unpacking when the front door opened. "Kate?" Tom called_. _"Up here," she answered, and he bounded up the stairs to reach her.

Well, he tried … his progress was stopped by the half-grown chocolate Lab who tore out of the kitchen and caught him halfway up the stairs.

"Hello there, Pip," he said, giving her a hug and a quick head scratch. "You saw me this morning, remember?"

"She nearly knocked me out the front door," Kathryn said, laughing. "Good thing I wasn't carrying anything breakable."

Tom managed to extricate himself and met her on the landing. "Welcome home," he said as he reached for her. "Hello, yourself," she said before she wound her arms around his neck and gave him a toe-curling kiss. "Miss me?"

"Absolutely," he assured her. "Good," she teased, "come inside and show me how much."

ooo

"Not that I'm complaining," Tom said later, "but I think I'm the one who got the welcome home."

"Well, I had to properly thank you for the lovely flowers," she said as she trailed her fingers down his chest.

He froze … somehow he'd managed to fall into trouble. "Er, flowers?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Yes, the roses you sent to my office. I brought them home."

He opened his mouth, then closed it. "Ah, hon, I didn't send roses. I did order delivery from the new Italian place, but no roses."

She sat up and frowned at him. "You didn't write a card that says, 'I miss you?'" He shook his head and she muttered a curse and sank back on the bed.

"Do you have a secret admirer?" he teased.

"If so, that 'admirer' is in for a surprise." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "When we get up, I'm getting rid of those flowers."

ooo

Another busy week, and suddenly, it was Friday again. Kathryn was trying to decipher a particularly dense report when Lt. Liang stuck her head in the door.

"Admiral," she said, "Front desk says there's a flower delivery for you. They've put it through the scanners."

She snapped to attention. "Lieutenant, tell them to hold the flowers but send up the card and shipping document." Liang slipped out, wondering why her boss looked so dismayed about getting flowers.

She returned shortly with the card and document. More Peace roses, same number, same color, but no buyer listed. The card held no clue: No signature, just the message, _"Could we talk?" _

She punched the comm. "Jei, call the front desk. Tell them the flowers are from an unknown sender and to call Security." She might be overreacting, but her current project involved sensitive negotiations — with an outside faction trying to derail the process.

Later in the day, she got a call from Admiral Portii, chief of security on campus.

"Thought I'd follow up: We paid a visit to the florist's shop. The staff said that the buyer is a man who wouldn't give his name and paid with a travel card. But they did give us a description."

"Oh, for heaven's sake," she exclaimed after Portii finished.

Portii raised an eyebrow. "Someone you know?"

"Sounds like it," she said. "And apparently he's taking advice from bad holonovels."

Portii laughed. "Well, you have my thanks for pointing out a security gap. We've reminded the florist and the front desk about policies."

"I've had a word with my staff about deliveries," she said. _"And myself, too," _she silently added.

Portii nodded. "Good idea, Kathryn. But you might want to have a word with your friend, too."

"Oh, believe me, Marius, I have several choice words _for_ him."

ooo

She came home to be greeted by a bouquet of pink and white peonies on the coffee table. Tom was leaning against the couch with a big grin on his face. Pip was barking in the back yard,

"Now where did those come from?" she asked teasingly. "And please tell me they're from you."

He laughed. "Rest easy, they are. I played hooky; took Pip out to the farm for a run. All your mom's peony bushes were in bloom, so I cut a bouquet. She sent brownies, too, and said that if you want your birthday present, you have to show up."

That brought a throaty laugh. "Well, bless both your hearts," she said walked over to him. "You know," she said as she gently twisted his shirt, "I'm thinking that my 'secret admirer' started a competition."

"What, I can't spoil you?"

"Hmm, well, I must admit that I do enjoy being spoiled," she teased. "So how can I encourage you to continue?"

ooo

"By the way, my 'secret admirer' is at it again," she told him over dinner. "But now I know who it is."

Tom lifted an eyebrow as Kathryn recounted Admiral Portii's report. "Chakotay? You've got to be kidding," he said. "After disappearing for more than two years, he pulls this?"

The next afternoon, he called B'Elanna. She smirked a little when she answered. "So, did Janeway finally come to her senses and throw you out?"

He held back a sigh. Thank God she'd rejected his marriage proposal; he could only imagine what life would have been like. "Sorry to disappoint, but Kate and I are fine. However, someone we all know has reappeared. He's sent Kate flowers with messages like, 'I miss you.' Wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

ooo

The next week, she and Tom were on leave, skiing the newly terraformed slopes of Quinbec 3. She managed a quick check-in with Lt. Liang, who didn't report any attempted deliveries. Hopefully, the matter was closed.

Not quite: As she scrolled through messages on her first day back, she found something interesting.

_Kathryn,_

_As you've probably figured out, I'm the one who sent the flowers. The florist told me that Starfleet Security paid him a visit about that. I'm so sorry: I certainly didn't mean to cause problems. Apparently, I've forgotten how to function in Federation society. _

_I'm back in San Francisco and would like to see you. I considered stopping by your office or home, but I didn't know if I'd be welcome."_

"Stopping by the house? Oh, you _would_ have been surprised," she muttered.

"_I've thought a lot about things over the past two years, and I realized that I really miss you. Could we talk?_

"Really?" she muttered again. "Now this wouldn't have anything to do with Annika leaving you, would it? Certainly not very flattering."

_During their last year on Voyager, _s_he'd been aware of the growing distance between them. It hurt to know that a good part of it was her fault and that she couldn't fix it. One night, after another rebuff, she wandered down to the holodecks to find Sandrine's running and Tom practicing a few pool shots._

_They played a few games, then adjourned to a booth for drinks and conversation. She went back to her quarters that night feeling lighter than she had in a long time … she hadn't laughed that much in ages._

_The next night, she accepted his invitation to try another program … followed by invitations to movies, then dinner … After a while, what Chakotay did on his off time no longer mattered. _

_And when the Admiral told her about Chakotay and Annika's marriage, all she could do was shrug._

ooo

Tom considered ignoring the vid call, but it was B'Elanna. "Hey, flyboy, has the 'secret admirer' struck again?'

"He's finally fessed up," Tom said. "Sent a message. I suspect the florist banned him after Security paid a visit. Anyway, he misses her and wants to talk."

B'Elanna rolled her eyes. "I can't believe that the PetaQ didn't call someone to ask if she was available. So is she going to talk to him?

Tom shrugged. "She's dodging him for now."

"Huh," B'Elanna said. "Well, I really called because I just heard from Harry. The Quebec is ahead of schedule: he'll be back in two weeks. Want to help plan something?"

Tom nodded. "Sure ..." A feral grin spread across his face. "B'El, I just got an evil idea. Want to help me with it?"

B'Elanna laughed. "I don't know what it is, but I'm in."

ooo

He'd forgotten how nice June could be in San Francisco, Chakotay mused as he walked to Kathryn's home. Nice neighborhood, too, though Kathryn's house seemed a bit bigger than a single person would need.

He rang the bell, and was greeted with a fit of loud barking … courtesy of a large brown dog sitting in an equally large crate.

"Good job, Pip," Kathryn called as she appeared at the storm door. "Quiet, now!" she commanded as the dog continued to bark.

Spirits! She looked 10 years younger. The T-shirt and Capris — more casual than anything she wore on Voyager — revealed her now-fuller figure … especially one aspect of it. Her hair was longer, too, caught up in a casual bun. He might not have recognized her on the street.

"Come on in," she said as she unlatched the door. He wanted to hug her, but she was standing just out of reach. Instead, he handed her the Peace rose he'd brought.

For her part, she noticed that he was leaner, much like he was as a Maquis, but the past couple of years had aged him a bit. He was giving her the full-dimpled smile … though _that_ had lost its effect years ago. And of course, he had another damned rose.

"Thank you," she said politely as she took it.

"What's your dog's name?" he asked as she ushered him to the back door.

"Pip,' she said. "Short for Pipsqueak. She was the runt of the litter, though she's certainly caught up."

"Here we are," she said brightly as she opened the back door. He didn't notice as she dropped the rose on a table.

He walked onto the small deck ... and stepped into hell.

Kathryn had mentioned a gathering, and he'd intended to get her aside for a quiet talk. But he didn't expect _this_ combination of people … or the vibe he was getting.

Harry, Tom, and the Delaney sisters were manning the grills. Harry looked uncomfortable; the others seemed to be smirking at him.

Tuvok and Vorik were in the middle of the yard; they both nodded formally. Behind them stood B'Elanna with Mike, Chell. Magnus, Baytart and Culhane, along with a man and a woman he didn't know. They definitely were smirking at him.

At the other end of the yard ... Spirits! Sam Wildman and her husband were talking to ... Annika, who appeared to be glued to the Doctor. Sam waved; the Doc and Annkia regarded him coolly.

"Well, this is quite a party," he remarked. "Do you think we could find a moment to ….?"

"It _is_ quite a party," she chuckled, ignoring the question. "We've had a hectic two weeks putting this together. Seems we had a trifecta: Tuvok is visiting, Harry's back from four months on the Quebec, and you popped up."

She paused and smiled sweetly, "So Tom and I decided that what the hell, we should celebrate my birthday and our wedding anniversary again, even if it is a little late."

His mouth dropped open, and try as he might, it wouldn't close.

"Tom? …. Anniversary?" he managed.

"I guess you didn't hear?" she asked more loudly than necessary. "Yes, Tom and I got married — two years ago last month." She beamed at Paris. He answered with a saucy wink.

"Actually, we eloped," she continued. "Sent announcements, but as I remember, we couldn't find you. And you weren't at the first reunion."

"Perhaps next year we'll celebrate the arrival of a little Paris," the Doctor called.

Kathryn shot him a _mind your own business _look, but Tom raised a glass. "Doc, I'm sure you'll be among the first to know," he said to laughter.

"Anyway," Kathryn said as she waved toward the yard. "There's plenty to eat and drink, so make yourself at home."

She walked over to the grilling area, and he watched as Paris leaned over a table to kiss her.

There would be no private talk. _That_ message was loud and clear. He had to hand it to her: she'd set him up perfectly and he'd fallen for it.

He suspected that everyone knew about those flowers. And then a horrifying realization hit him: Annkia and the Doctor were here, and neither of them was particularly good with discretion.

Best thing to do was make a quick, quiet exit. But before he could turn, B'Elanna and Mike appeared. "So, old man," B'Elanna said jovially. "I think you've got a lot to catch up on."

Behind her, Paris was looking at him. His smile was broad, but he could see the warning flash in his eyes.

000

"Well, I think everyone had a good time," Kathryn said as they lounged on the couch that evening.

"Most everyone," Tom said with a grin.

"You know, I do feel a bit guilty about publicly calling him out."

"Oh, I think he deserved it — if not for that boneheaded stunt, then for the presumption that you'd be waiting for him," Tom said. "B'Elanna and Mike did a nice job keeping him away from Annika ... and me. I'm surprised he was able to give them the slip."

She shook her head. "I can't believe that he climbed out that little bathroom window. That had to have hurt. "

"Well, B'Elanna's boyfriend — what's his name? Marat? — saw him. I'm sure _all_ the Voyager crew will hear about it by morning, along with most of Starfleet," he said as Kathryn winced.

Tom stretched and put his feet on the coffee table. "Doc and Annika do get the 'good sport' award."

"I did make it clear that Chakotay was invited ... or should I say 'lured' … and explained what we were doing. They were more than happy to see him 'get his comeuppance,'" as the Doctor said.

She shook her head. "The Doctor says he'll tell me all the dirt on the breakup next time we have coffee. I'm not sure I want to know."

"You may be the last to know."

She lifted an eyebrow. "_You_ know?"

"Well, when I called B'Elanna originally… seems she got her info on the breakup from Doc. In addition to all the obvious differences, he … well, in racing terms, let's say he was a non ….."

She threw up both hands. "Stop right there. I _definitely_ don't want to know! No wonder he was getting those looks from people ..."

Tom just snorted as he got up. "I'm going to get your anniversary present; be right back."

"What? The skiing trip was our anniversary present, remember?!"

He was back a moment later, balancing two glasses, a small bottle, and a small stasis tray. "Oh, you lovely man," she purred as she opened the tray. "Chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne. You're spoiling me again."

He gave her a quick kiss. "I certainly am, and you deserve it." She did deserve it, he mused. Especially after all the sacrifices she made on Voyager. Actually, he should thank Chakotay. His appearance was a reminder that he should _never_ take Kate for granted.

He poured the champagne and lifted his glass in a toast.

"Happy anniversary again."

"And many, many more," she said as they clinked glasses.


End file.
